Midday Roundup: Jindal sues feds over Common Core

Uncommon lawsuit. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is suing the federal government over the increasingly unpopular Common Core education standards. Jindal claims the Obama administration manipulated grant awards to force states to adopt the standards, which opponents say are just another attempt by the federal government to wrest control over education from states. “The federal government has hijacked and destroyed the Common Core initiative,” Jindal said in a statement. “Common Core is the latest effort by big government disciples to strip away state rights and put Washington, D.C., in control of everything.”

Burger boycott? Burger King has taken to social media to defend its decision to move its headquarters to Canada as part of a buyout of popular Canadian coffee company Tim Hortons. The deal is valued at $11 billion and will make the combined company the third-largest fast food chain in the world with $23 billion in annual sales and more than 18,000 restaurants in 100 countries. Analysts quickly noted the move would save Burger King a bundle in taxes—Canada doesn’t tax corporations’foreign earnings. Company executives insist they will continue to run their U.S. operations out of their Miami offices and pay U.S. taxes, just like they always have. But U.S. lawmakers aren’t pacified, and several called for a Burger King boycott.

Pastor investigated. A Charlotte, N.C., megachurch has placed its lead pastor on administrative leave after a popular national radio program fired him for “inappropriate conduct and behavior.” John Munro, senior pastor at Calvary Church, had served for less than a year as the radio teacher for Back to the Bible. No details about the situation have been made public, but in announcing Munro’s suspension, a Calvary elder told the congregation someone had filed an “H.R. complaint” against the pastor. The church has hired an outside investigator to look into the situation.

Election night. Several states held primaries Tuesday night, filling the November ballot with a few surprises. Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who seems to be perpetually confused about his political allegiance, won the Democratic nomination to challenge GOP incumbent Gov. Rick Scott in November. Scott succeeded Crist, who was elected in 2006 as a Republican. He later became an Independent during a 2010 bid for the Florida Senate seat won by tea party favorite Marco Rubio. In Arizona, state Treasurer Doug Ducey won a crowded GOP field vying to replace outgoing Gov. Jan Brewer, who endorsed one of the losing candidates as her successor.

Bad idea. A 9-year-old Arizona girl accidentally killed her shooting instructor with a submachine gun on Monday. The powerful weapon recoiled off her shoulder, and a bullet struck 39-year-old Charles Vacca in the head. The girl was on vacation with her family, who are from the Northeast, according to police. The shooting range, Bullets and Burgers, advertises that children as young as 8 years old can shoot a weapon as long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. Vacca was married and a veteran.

Pushing deadline. Ask veteran journalists about today’s newsrooms, and they likely will tell you they’re too quiet without the clacking of typewriters and the whirring of the ticker tape spitting out wire reports. Something about that noisy atmosphere helped create a sense of urgency and pushed reporters to file their stories on time. In a bid to recreate that bygone, electrifying environment, The Times of London is piping a recording of typewriters into its newsroom. The recording starts with one lone typewriter and builds to a crescendo of clacking as deadline approaches.